Thomas Markle Is Suing A Paparazzi Photo Agency. Here's Why
Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, do not have a relationship at this point in time. During her interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired back in March, Meghan explained that she made the decision to cut her dad out of her life after he lied to her about his relationship with the press, according to Us Weekly. "I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can't imagine it. So it's hard for me to reconcile that," Meghan told Oprah. The relationship was severed before Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry, leaving her father without an invitation.
However, Thomas had no intentions of going away quietly. In fact, he has vowed to give an interview to the press every 30 days in an effort to get his daughter's attention, the Mirror reports. And that's not the only thing that Thomas has done since losing Meghan's trust. "Every paper seemed to want to make me look like a dumb, fat slob," Thomas said in an interview with Britain's Channel 5 (via YouTube). He went on to explain that he was approached by a guy who said he could change Thomas' image by staging some candid photos of him that were supposed to be "discreet." Thomas said he didn't "do this for money," but, rather, to "change [his] image." However, it is believed that he earns money every time those photos are used.
Now, Thomas has filed a major lawsuit against the paparazzi agency responsible for the pics. Keep reading to find out why.
Thomas Markle is suing a paparazzi agency for $1 million
According to USA Today, Thomas Markle has filed a civil lawsuit against Coleman-Rayner, the company who shot the aforementioned staged photos. Thomas claims that the agency did not allow him to "approve" the pics, which "violated" their initial contract. Thomas is seeking $1 million in damages. Meanwhile, Coleman-Rayner issued a statement in response to the lawsuit, telling USA Today, "Mr. Markle's hand-written court filing is so obviously frivolous that Mr. Markle, USA Today and anyone else who republishes the details of Mr. Markle's court filing, will be liable to Coleman-Rayner for defamation."
Thomas seems to be in the news every other day lately, which isn't doing much for his hopes of reconciling with his daughter. The very reason that she no longer speaks to him is because of his inability to keep things private (and the fact that he wasn't honest with her). Back in October, The Blast reported that Thomas threatened to file a lawsuit against Prince Harry and Meghan Markle because they aren't letting him see his grandchildren. That lawsuit never happened.